Drinking straw wrapper



Nov. 6, 1962 J. P. MALIA DRINKING STRAW WRAPPER Filed July 14, 1958 FIG. 1 4

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I! l \z' y t Yg q Jen-m Paw-em MALIAI 3,062,551 DRINKING SW WRAPPER John Peter Malia, 1545 E. 60th St., Chicago 37, 111. Filed July 14, 1958, Ser. No. 748,310 8 Claims. (Cl. 273-1065) This invention relates to a device in which individual drinking straws, or groups of drinking straws, may be wrapped or packaged, said device also being a form of toy or amusement.

The object of the invention is to provide a means of wrapping or packaging drinking straws which will afford not only the usual service of keeping the contained straw or straws free of dirt, contamination, etc., but will also, at the time the straw is to be used in particular, afford a source of amusement in the form of a toy or game.

Other objects of the invention will in part be obvious, and in part appear hereinafter.

At the present time, common drinking straws, or soda straws, as they are also known, are commonly supplied either unwrapped, in boxes, or, in individual thin paper wrappers; the latter method serves to keep each individual straw clean, and is most commonly used for straws sold in bulk quantities to users such as soda-fountains, restaurants, etc. Children in particular find these wrappings a source of amusement; by crumpling the wrapper down over the straw, and then applying water to the crumpled wrapper, they can make snakes which result from the expansion of the wrinkled wrapper as the water soaks it. They also seem to find it amusing to, by tearing the end of the wrapper off, but leaving the straw in place so that it may be used in the manner of a blow-gun, use the wrapper as a dart or projectile, by blowing it off the straw. Since the wrappers are of such light and flimsy construction, the game is harmless.

The invention, accordingly, is embodied in a wrapper, of thin paper or other thin flexible light-weight material, for one or more drinking straws, said wrapper to be cut and formed in such a shape as to have the outline shape at one end of the head of a snake, or of fins such as those of a bomb or rocket, or of any other representation which might be chosen to represent a source of amusement or a game to those about to use the enclosed drinking straws. The invention further contemplates that the wrapper may be made more realistic or attractive by suitable printed designs further defining or representing the object from which the particular wrapper takes its shape.

The invention may be more precisely understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 represents a top view of a wrapper formed to have the outline shape of a snakes head at one end.

FIGURE 2 is a top view of a wrapper having fins at one end.

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view of the tubular portion of the wrapper and the contained straw.

FIGURE 4 is a cross'sectional view of the end of the wrapper having the particular shape chosen.

FLGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view of the end of a wrapper having four fins.

FIGURE 6 is a side view of a wrapper such as in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2; for the sake of clarity the crimped parts to be torn off are not indicated in this view.

The basic construction of the invention is the conventional method of thin paper pieces cut so as to completely contain one or more drinking straws when the edges are suitably glued, crimped, or otherwise fastened together to make a tube enclosed on all sides. It is not contemplated that the construction be limited, however, to paper; any appropriate light-weight material may be used. The invention is novel in providing that the pieces of material used for the wrapper (or the single piece, if some method ire tats Patent 0 3,l)hZ,55l Patented Nov. 6, 1962 other than cutting and fastening is used in manufacture, such as extrusion of thin plastic into a die or mold) be such as to give an outline shape to the wrapper, the shape as contemplated being a silhouette of the head of a snake, or the fins of a rocket or bomb, or any other appropriate or desired object.

In use the drinking straw wrapper constitutes a toy in addition to its function as a protective enclosure for the contained straws. For example, the finned wrapper may be used before opening as a dart or projectile thrown by the hand. By opening the end of the wrapper, it may then be used as a true projectile toy by using the enclosed straw as a blow-pipe. In either case, the fins provide a flight pattern which is stable, directable, and reproducible, and quite unlike that of an ordinary wrapper so propelled. Similarly, the snake-head wrapper may be used as a toy snake even before opening, and after opening, becomes a flexible toy snake. Alternatively, the wrapper end may be torn ofif, the wrapper pushed down along the contained straw so as to crumple and compress it lengthwise along the straw except for the head portion, and the crumpled wrapper then moistened, after removing the straw, causing it to expand lengthwise and 'writhe in so doing. In this way, the toy snake may be made to act alive, the illusion being furthered by the presence of the uncrumpled, hence intact, head. The manner of use of other possible embodiments would be appropriate to the particular embodiment; an animal might be made to stand up on its legs, for example, the legs being lateral projections which could be folded down. As a basis for games, the manner of use of the particular embodiment would suggest the game. The finned wrappers, for example, form the basis of a game of skill in determining how far or how accurately they could be propelled. The snake-head wrappers could be used in a game to see which of several such wrappers, crumpled and moistened as described above, exhibited the greatest lengthening or motion.

Referring now to the drawings in detail:

FIGURE 1 is a top view of a wrapper having at one end the outline shape of the head of a snake, 11. 10 represents the tubular body of the wrapper, 12 the area of crimping, gluing, or otherwise fastening together of the two pieces having the outline shape of FIG. 1 to form the closed wrapper. 13 is a crimped or scored portion of the wrapper extending beyond the enclosed straw, to be torn off for access to the straw.

FIGURE 2 is a top view of a wrapper having at one end fins, 21. 22 is a crimped or scored area to be torn off for access to the straw; after tearing 22 off, the contained straw may be used as a blow-gun to blow off the wrapper. 10 and 12 have the same significance as in FIG. 1.

FIGURE 3 is a cross-sectional view taken as indicated on FIG. 2. 10 is the tubular portion of the body of the wrapper, and 12 the crimping or gluing at the edgesof the two pieces forming the wrapper. 30 represents the enclosed drinking straw.

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional view taken as indicated on FIG. 2, showing the enclosed straw, 30, the crimped or glued edges, 12, and the widened portion of the end of the wrapper representing the snake head, 11, or the fins of the rocket shape, 21. This view being essentially the same for both wrappers, one view was used to show both. It should be noted that the pieces, 11 or 21, are shown as bellied out from the straw for the sake of clarity; in practice, they would lie flat around the straw.

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view of a modification of the rocket shape; the view is as FIG. 4, and shows a method of using four pieces to make a wrapper having four fins, 51. 12 and 30 are as before.

FIGURE 6 is a side view of a wrapper such as in 1) a FIG. 1 or FIG. 2; for the sake of clarity, the crimped parts, to be torn 013?, 13 or 22, are not indicated in this view.

Although the invention has been described with reference to only a limited number of examples, it is to be understood that variations thereof may be adopted without departing from its spirit or scope.

What is claimed is:

1. A combination drinking straw wrapper and toy, comprising at least one drinking straw sealed within a Wrap per of lightweight material substantially in the form of an elongated hollow body having opposite front and rear ends which are closed and sealed, and having mounted along a portion of one side thereof at least one laterally projecting element; at least one of the sealed ends extending sufficiently beyond the respective end of said en closed drinking straw as to be electively manually destructible while maintaining intact the integrity of said straw and the remainder of said wrapper; said laterally projecting element being characterized by having only one front edge and only one rear edge, at least one of said edges being remote from said destructible sealed end.

2. A combination drinking straw wrapper and toy projectile, comprising at least one drinking straw sealed within a wrapper of lightweight material substantially in the form of an elongated hollow body having opposite front and rear ends which are closed and sealed, and having mounted along at least a portion of its length at least two opposed laterally projecting fins; at least one of the sealed ends extending sufiiciently beyond the respective end of said enclosed drinking straw as to be electively manually destructible while maintaining intact the integrity of said straw and the remainder of said wrapper; each of said fins being characterized by having only one leading edge and only one trailing edge, at least one of said edges being remote from said destructible sealed end.

3. A combination in accordance with claim 2, the main area of each of said fins located upon said wrapper-body so as to extend from substantially one end of said wrapper-body along the length of said wrapper-body for a distance less than one-half of the length of said wrapperbody.

4. The drinking straw wrapper and toy of claim 1 wherein said projecting element is integral with said body.

5. The drinking straw wrapper and toy of claim 1 wherein said projecting element is fastened to said body.

6. The drinking straw wrapper and toy of claim 1 wherein said wrapper has two opposed laterally projecting elements, and the front and rear edges of each of said opposed projecting elements comprise a continuous curve.

7. The drinking straw wrapper and toy projectile of claim 2 wherein said fins are integral with said body.

8. The drinking straw wrapper and toy projectile of claim 2 wherein said fins are fastened to said body.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 948,177 Lehmann Feb. 1, 1910 2,261,466 Habib Nov. 4, 1941 2,319,448 Frostad May 18, 1943 2,820,321 Kuhn Jan. 21, 1958 2,910,174 Reid Oct. 27, 1959 

